Living Like Trees: The Hindu and Buddhist Ideal of Sharing

Fielding Hall, a British official in nineteenth-century Burma, once asked for a bill at what he had taken to be a village restaurant, and found that he had been fed as a guest in a private house. Little did he know that the simple-minded folk were just practicing one of Buddhism's fundamental ethical imperatives - the gesture of unconditioned giving.

Indeed, the primary activity which a Buddhist learns to develop is unselfish sharing, which forms a basis for further moral and spiritual development. If the key to any religion is held in its stories, Buddhist literature, abounding in such narratives, gives ample evidence of the high esteem this particular trait is held in.

Dana: Giving and Getting in Pali Buddhism

Dana or generosity is encouraged as an essential attitude, which is the best way of offsetting the human tendency of individual self-centeredness and attachment. It is also regarded as a basic form of renunciation, open to both - the layperson and the monk.

Thus says the ancient Buddhist Canon:

'Like a jar of water, when overturned, empties all its contents, never to receive them back, thus should one give away without regard to money, fame, one's progeny, or even our own body to
anybody who approaches us with a wish list.' (Introduction to Jataka)

Throughout the Jataka Stories, the first injunction when any
discourse is delivered is to give donations to the poor, food to
guests and support and honor to holy men. In Hinduism too, the
gift of food is considered especially virtuous because:

'Life is sustained by food and food is life, thus, to give food
to others is like giving life to them.' (Mahabharata: 13.63.26)

The hospitality has to be all embracing, and the guest, whoever
she or he may be, has to be welcomed with open arms:

Even if the lowliest of the low arrives as a guest, the
householder should welcome him. (Mahabharata: 14.92)

In the timeless text, The Bhagavata Purana, an instructive
episode is narrated where Krishna, playing with his famished
friends, is addressed thus by the latter:

"O Krishna, like you have annihilated mighty demons tormenting
us, so also save us from these pangs of hunger.&quot

Krishna, ever the fulfiller of his devotees' needs, answered:

"Go to the nearby hall where learned Brahmins are performing a
great ritual to attain heaven. Tell them that you have been sent
by me and request them to give you some cooked rice.&quot

Obeying the instructions, the young lads went over to the
hermitage, prostrated them before the priests and requested:

"Venerable saints, we are the servants of Lord Krishna who is
playing with us nearby. He is now hungry and has asked us to seek
food from you - the true knowers of Dharma.&quot

Ignorantly engaged in toilsome rituals and acts of everyday life,
yet vainglorious of their textual wisdom, the Brahmins, though
they heard the solicitations of the lord, who out of Grace send
his friends for food to them, did not heed to their needs.

Disappointed, they reported what had happened to Krishna, who
laughing out aloud said: "Now go to the affectionate wives of
these Brahmins and ask the same of them. They will definitely
feed you to your heart's content.&quot

To those pious women the lads respectfully submitted:
"Salutations to you virtuous ladies. We have been deputed by Lord
Krishna to seek food for our hungry group.&quot

No sooner had they heard that the lord was so near, giving them
an opportunity to fulfill his and his followers' hunger, the
Brahmin women immediately gathered sumptuous food in large
vessels and like rivers rushing towards the ocean, eagerly
reached out to Krishna welcoming him through the gates of their
eyes, establishing him into their hearts.

Krishna and His Friends Enjoy the Meal

Krishna first made his friends feast on the food and only afterwards did he partake it himself.

Later, the saints, remembering their uncharitable behavior,
lamented: "Alas, we have disregarded the lord who has taken the
form of a human being. All our knowledge, vows and pure birth are
useless, because due to pride, we were unable to recognize the
divinity in humanity." (Bhagavata Purana: 10.23)

This simple narrative has a profound implication, alerting us to
the realization that if we are lucky enough to have somebody
needful at our threshold, it is perhaps god himself who has
condescended to bless us. Thus is it said:

'With a guest come all the gods. If a guest is honored, so are
they; if he goes away disappointed, they are disappointed too.'
(Mahabharata: 14.92)

Significantly, the word used for guest in Sanskrit is 'atithi',
'tithi' meaning date and the prefix 'a' negating it. Therefore,
one who arrives unexpectedly without prior date or appointment is
the guest extolled here:

Krishna Washes the Feet of His Guest Sudama

'An athithi is an occasion for heaven, and all gods are satisfied when he is satisfied.' (Mahabharata: 14.92)

The Bhagavad Gita calls such an unsolicited opportunity to perform one's duty (made available by chance and not effort), a direct gateway to heaven (2.32).

Our experience of the world is one of interdependence, and we do not exist as isolated elements but are related to each other as many strands of a fabric. Hindu and Buddhist texts provide structures through which trustworthy views of this experience can be developed, recognizing that such interdependence is not just of the nature of the body, but at a deeper level, of human social life. Such an outlook involves not only accommodation, but also slowly but steadily cultivates in us the ideal of renunciation, defined as the abandonment of material things over to someone
else, and which is a necessary first step towards Nirvana or Moksha.

Shasha Jataka: Just to the left of the Fire
can be Seen the Hare Ready to Jump Into the Flames (Guntur, Andhra Pradesh)

In fact, the quality of giving is one of the virtues perfected
over numerous lifetimes by Buddha in his bodhisattva phase,
before the final culmination into Nirvana, after he has given up
all attachment. This is symbolized by the sacrifice of his own
body when he has nothing else to offer an unexpected guest. In
the Jataka Tale entitled 'Shasha Jataka' (story no. 316), the
Buddha is born as a rabbit, and unable to present any other food
to a Brahmin come home, roasted himself in a fire. Later of
course, it turns out that his guest is but god testing his
resolve.

A similar message is given by the story of King Shibi in the Jataka Mala, who having given away all his wealth, was still moved enough by small insects hovering around him, and inflicted several wounds on his body to feed the mosquitoes. In another narrative from the same text, the bodhisattva throws himself in front of a hungry tigress, who, otherwise, was on the verge of consuming her own cubs. This is however not the only instance of the Buddha-To-Be sacrificing his physical body partly or fully and numerous tales abound in Buddhist Canonical literature
illustrating this theme.

Buddha Discourses to Ananda

In the ancient Samadhiraja-Sutra, Buddha's principal disciple
Ananda asks how a bodhisattva can cheerfully suffer the loss of
his limbs etc and not feel any pain when he mutilates himself for
the good of others.

The Buddha explained that intense compassion for mankind and the
love of Bodhi (spiritual awakening), sustain and inspire a
bodhisattva towards heroism, just as worldly men are inclined to
enjoy sensual pleasures even when their bodies are burning with
fever.

Before being so advanced spiritually so as to make these supreme
sacrifices, the bodhisattva, in many of his live prior to
Buddhahood, continued to cultivate the perfection (paramita) of
Dana, experiencing greater pleasure in giving than those
receiving it. When the action of giving is thus internalized in
so profound a manner, becoming almost one's second, nay primary
nature, Krishna compares such unselfish magnanimity with the
inspiring life of trees:

"Have a look at these great blessed trees, who live only for the
welfare of others, themselves facing the severity of stormy
winds, heavy showers, heat and snow, all the while protecting us
from them. The birth of trees is the most blessed in the world,
as they contribute unreservedly to the well being of all
creatures. Just as no needy person ever returns disappointed from
the house of a benevolent individual, similarly do these trees do
for those who approach them for shelter. All of their many
parts - leaves, flowers, fruits, shadow, roots, bark, wood and
fragrance, are useful to others. Indeed, there are many who live
on this earth, but the birth of only those is successful, who, as
far as possible, through their wealth, intellect, speech and
lives, engage in acts conducive to the welfare of others."
(Bhagavata Purana 10.22.32 - 35)

The Mahabharata asks us to embrace even one perceived to be an
enemy, should he arrive at our threshold: 'Should even one's
enemy arrive at the doorstep, he should be attended upon with
respect. A tree does not withdraw its cooling shade even from the
one who has come to cut it.' (12.146.5)

Santideva's Bodhicharyavatara (Original Sanskrit Text with English Tanslation and Exposition Based on Prajnakarmati's Panjika)

The Bodhichariyavatara, a classic in the world's religious literature, composed by the monk Shantideva (AD 685-763),
describes in verse form the various steps to be taken by the bodhisattva on the path to Buddhahood.

It calls the bodhisattva as one without attachment to specific individuals, but who perceives all creatures with benevolence like a father his son. There is a beautiful passage in the Bhagavata Purana complementing the above ideal:

Man has right over only that much wealth as is enough to satisfy his hunger. He who lays a claim on the surplus is a thief and deserves punishment. One should look upon beasts, camels, donkeys, monkeys, rats, creatures who crawl on the earth (serpents etc), birds and mosquitoes like one's own sons, and these should therefore not be driven out of the house or fields if they enter and begin to eat, for what indeed is the difference between them and his sons? (7.14.8 - 9)

This is perhaps akin to Mahatma Gandhi's concept of trusteeship, where anyone with wealth in excess of his basic needs realizes himself to be only a trustee of his prosperity, and who understands that his continuation in the office depends only on his overseeing that it is judiciously shared amongst all shareholders.

The Bodhichariyavatara takes even a deeper perspective, laying special emphasis on placing oneself in the position of others (par-atma-parivartana), in order to promote selflessness (an-atman) and compassion (karuna): 'Whoever wishes for salvation should practice the supreme mystery - the exchanging of himself and the other.' (8.120)

Governed by this high ideal, such selfless giving does not expect anything in return. It is perhaps only a way of saying thanks to the one god who has created us all in equality. According to Krishna, a sharing which wants its price is but mere shop keeping:

"Those who love only when loved, their whole enterprise is based on selfishness. It is only giving and taking. It is nor a joining of hearts, neither Dharma. This love is just for self-interest and nothing else. Those who show affection to even those who do not reciprocate their love are like parents, full of karuna. Here lies pure and spotless Dharma." (Bhagavata Purana 10.32.17 - 18)

What all these instances suggest is that the sense of giving is not mere alms giving or charity, but a sharing of what one has been given, in the awareness that one's life is connected with other beings. Hospitality is one such expression of this realization, beyond mere ritual etiquette:

Even if he diligently studies the Veda day after day, but fails to welcome his guest, then the life of such a Brahmin is in vain. If one wishes to reap the fruits of ritual rites, then let one attend upon a guest who arrives hungry and thirsty at his doorstep with food and respect. (Mahabharata: 14.92)

Equally important with the act of giving is the attitude, the feeling with which the offerings are made. The word used for ritual giving in Sanskrit, is 'Dana', whose meanings are sharing, communicating, imparting, paying back (as a debt), restoring, and adding to. The ancient tradition of holistic healing, Ayurveda, speaks of four kinds of defects which can afflict cooked food:

1). The Defect of Time (Kala Dosha) - The food that has been kept for too long.

2). The Defect of Flavor (Rasa Dosha) - That which has lost its taste.

3). The Defect of Company (Samsarga Dosha): Touched by unclean hands, or in which some insect has fallen

4). The Defect of Sentiment (Bhava Dosha) - That which is offered with ill grace or without affection. Such a food is not food, it is poison and the worst out of the four categories.

In Buddhist Ethics too, the overall focus is on the psychological aspects of an action, that is, on the intention or volition (chetana) behind it. The Kathavatthu of the Pali Canon holds that Dana is not only the act of giving and gift itself, but the mental state of liberality as well. Thus it is not the absolute size of the gift that is noteworthy, but its proportion out of one's own stock, that characterizes the 'abundance' of a gift.

King Rantideva Worships God Come in the Form of
Man and His Dogs

The story of King Rantideva illustrates one such episode, where
this monarch, having given away all his wealth, fell on to days
of hardship, and had to go even without water for a stretch of
forty-eight days. However, on the morning of the forty-ninth, he
managed to get a meal of rice cooked in butter. As soon as the
family sat down to break their fast, a Brahmin guest arrived, and
the family, visualizing god in everything, received him with
reverence and gave him a share. Before they could partake of the
remaining food, another stranger, this time a Shudra, knocked at
their door. He was also lovingly given a portion of the meal.
After him came a stranger with his dogs, requesting to be fed
along with his hounds. The householder dutifully bowed before the
god arrived in the form of the dogs and their master. Lastly,
only water having remained, that too was asked by for by a
parched Chandala (keeper of funeral grounds). King Rantideva,
observing the latter's plight said: I do not seek from The
Almighty Lord any kind of special powers. I would rather prefer
to dwell in all beings and undergo their sufferings myself,
relieving them of their miseries. By offering water to this
unfortunate person, ally my thirst, exhaustion, distress and
hunger have been quenched." Later, the family was blessed with a
vision (darshan) of the lord himself, who extolled their
sacrifice, which consisted of all they possessed.

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Thank you immensely for this particuarly wonderful article this month in regard to Buddhist and Hindu sharing. It was beautiful and illuminating. I shall do more of the suggested reading listed at the end of the article. Please continue your wonderful work.

by Pamela St. George on 10th Dec 2006

Your article isobeautifully expresses the wonderful principle of ATITHIDEVO BHAVA - which we as children saw our elders practicing in daily life !
If only we could re-learn all our forgotten ideals of life !
Thank you for such enlightening and elevating articles.

by PANT VIJAYA on 22nd Nov 2006

As always I enjoyed your lucid and enlightening presentation. Many thanks.

If only we (HIndus or Buddhists)practiced even a fraction of this attitude, how wonderful it would be!

by Mukunda Rao on 19th Nov 2006

Dear Datha Nitin Kumar,

I would like to congratulate you for your excellent work, it is always a great pleasure to read and study the articles you write, and all what it can be found in the site.

Namaste,

by Jean-Luc M.J. Antoine on 16th Nov 2006

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"Bhishma undoubtedly is one of the central figures of the Mahabharata.…. One should not venture out too early in the morning…. But one should not go to sleep with wet feet….A person who desires to live long should never irritate the following three…. One must shun company of people who criticize the Vedas…. If we are traveling, one must find shelter inside a house…."

"The Bhagavad Gita, while describing the qualities of a wise person says…. This verse is vividly illustrated in the story of king Rantideva occurring in the Srimad Bhagavatam…. He did not believe in hoarding, was above all attachments and was highly patient…. They were all trembling due to starvation and thirst….bowed to the dogs and their owner…. What I want is only this: That I be able to go and live in the hearts of all beings and undergo sufferings on their behalf, so that they may become free from all miseries."

"Here is a fragment from one of the most poignant episodes of Indian history…. This piece of history is from the Mahabharata…. She was dying with shame but inside, like a true kshatrani (woman of the warrior race), she was burning with anger…. I have heard that women who follow dharma were never brought before a public court….Greed is the destroyer of dharma. I do not desire a third boon…. Draupadi was as forgiving as mother earth herself…. Just then Arjuna saw his dear friend Bhagawan Krishna approaching him…. “Leave him, leave him. He is a brahmin and worthy of our worship. Their mother should not cry, like I have at the death of my children."

"Whenever he gets the time, he should go and live amongst people who have given up worldly life…. A wise person should serve his body and family only to the extent that is functionally necessary…. The person who lays claim on the surplus wealth is nothing but a thief…. He should share all objects of enjoyment with everyone, right down to dogs, sinners…. Such is the attachment to one’s wife….How despicable is this body, which if buried is going to become the food of worms, or excreta if eaten by animals….Since a son is to thus revere his elders even after their death, what to say that he is expected to serve them when they are alive…. The person wishing to follow the path of dharma should steer clear of the five forms of Adharma."

"Her epithet in the Devi-Mahatmya is Mahalakshmi. She is the wrathful four-armed goddess of battlefield represented holding in them various weapons…. A form of Lakshmi seated over a lotus laid over a golden seat and a pair of white elephants…. Except in some classical forms in Lakshmi-Narayana imagery Lakshmi is ordinarily two-armed…. Incarnation theory is the crux of Vaishnavism. Vishnu incarnates alone but Lakshmi also incarnates in simultaneity…. Though very rare some enthused artists have conceived on Ardhanarishvara line also Vishnu’s Ardhanarishvara images."

"Both the Mahabharata and Shrimad Bhagavatam give a vivid description of how things are like in Kaliyuga…. The following is a list of features typical to Kaliyuga…. A man will consider only those people to be his relatives who are related to him through….The ashrams will be full of show-offs who are experts in the art of living off the food of others….. We can save ourselves from Kaliyuga."

"We assume that our happiness is the result of an interaction with external objects…. Suppose that an individual is deprived of sleep and food and pleasurable objects for a long time and then all of them are simultaneously offered to him…. Actually, seeking the answer to this question is the most significant pursuit in life…. The veil comes up again and the duality returns…. In this background, we can now analyse the nature of dukha (grief)."

"A man receives a wife given by the gods... Where women are revered, there the gods rejoice; but where they are not, all efforts are unfruitful…. The husband, tradition says, is the wife, They can never be cut loose from one another. This is the dharma made by Brahma himself….he king who bears patiently when those in anguish insult him will be exalted in heaven…. If the driver of a vehicle injures a man, animal or property, he needs to be punished along with the owner of the vehicle…. This in a nutshell, is the definition of suffering and happiness."

"Contrarily metaphysicians and theologians perceived his form as it manifested in the Upanishads and Puranas….The ‘Advaita’ philosophy also contends that the entire Creation is just the extension of One…. Dance illustrates one of the ever-first cosmic acts with which Shiva seems to have tamed violent motion and separated from it rhythm, moves that communicated emotions and states of mind – human mind and the cosmic, and disciplined and defined pace…. Unlike Vishnu who resorted to dance for accomplishing a contemplated objective, Shiva has been conceived more or less as a regular dancer performing for accomplishing an objective as also for pure aesthetic delight…. Unfurling locks of hair and his snakes floating into space portray the dynamics of the act."

"There is Rama, the son of Ayodhya's king Dasharatha in his human birth, and there is Rama's divinity, his divine aura that overwhelms the Tulasi's entire Ramacharit-manas, one manifest - with attributes, and the other, unmanifest - without attributes. With main emphasis on his majesty in South Indian tradition this crown is taller than usual. His 'khadgasana' images are usually in three modes; one with his right foot moved forward represents him in a commander's disposition ready to rush for protecting a devotee in crisis or redeem him from some calamity. Harihara, a form in which he shares with Shiva half of the body. Basically a bird Garuda is seen for ages as Vishnu's ardent devotee, a learned human being and an auspicious presence, and in iconographic tradition often conceived with a man's face, anatomy, ornaments and ensemble. The Puranas are replete with tales of Garuda's divine exploits."

"But to pull this statement out of context and give it as an advice for anyone is far from correct…. But how is one to recognise the guru? Obviously, he will be able to understand the difficulties of the disciples and clarify to them the meaning of the scriptures on the basis of logic and experience….
They will have to search in their own neighbourhood only….The guru chosen by him should be at least better than himself!…. Of course, if the ideal guru whose features have been enumerated in the beginning is available, then the sadhaka should immediately go and surrender to him…. It is just like going to another teacher for higher education, after completing the education in a school."

"Actually, the one who worships Bhagwan Vishnu should get rich and the one who worships Shiva should become an avadhuta like Him…. Then he works hard again to acquire wealth. I render all his efforts futile…. However, Bhagawan Vishnu is not like that, it takes longer to please Him…. As a consequence, they later harassed the great God Himself…. On the seventh day, he bathed in the holy waters of Kedarnath and began to cut his head with an axe to offer into the fire…. The boy bowed respectfully before the demon and asked…. No one who commits sin against a great person can be safe and happy in this world."

"This middle path lies in between extreme asceticism on one side, and extreme indulgence on the other…. When standing under a Ashok tree, tired and exhausted, she raised her right hand for seeking support of a branch of the tree…. The unique balance that defined his entire life was pre-determined in this duality….One day, in the palace garden he frightened his attendants…. He ate less and less till his diet reduced to a sesame seed, and himself, to a mere skeleton…. Seven days after the attainment of enlightenment gods sent food for breaking his fast…. However, he postponed his ‘nirvana’ for three months till he visited the places he had reminiscences of."

"She has always believed that this would redeem her of her distress….A coconut, otherwise an ordinary dried fruit or the source of edible, or at the most, beauty oil, has always been revered as an auspicious object effecting good and well-being and the food that gods most loved….The tree in the Buddhist tradition was later identified as Bodhi-tree, seated under which Buddha had attained Enlightenment….Body gestures and symptoms, signs, indications among others must have been the early man’s tools of communicating oneself and knowing and understanding the world around….Kirttimukha was initially conceived as a mystical mask….Lion does not figure in the wide range of animal toys or figurines excavated from Indus sites."

"One uniqueness of our Vedic religion is that it allows for salvation not only through renunciation (nivritti) but also through the path of material happiness (pravritti).... If dharma makes it mandatory that conjugal pleasure be restricted to the life partner, how is it that Krishna indulged in the amorous sport of Rasa with others' wives?.... Some stopped cooking, some stopped feeding, some stopped eating, some stopped washing clothes etc. and ran away.... Upanishads call the jiva in waking state as Vishwa and the dreaming jiva as Taijasa (Mandukya Upanishad Mantras 3-4)."